SPRING

This year we had a very wet, mild Spring. Great for the plants - but even better for the weeds!! I  started my spring cleaning in the garden in late August and thanks to the rainy weather I still have not got right around the garden. I must have pulled up a ton of weeds, burnt a ton of prunings and clipped miles of lawn edges - and still not finished.

The insurance company finally finished removing the huge fallen blue gum and cleaned up the area where the tree had fallen - only took them 10 months to do it. Now I have a large area of bare ground (except for a fine crop of weeds) to replant and with the hot summer months ahead, I am not keen to subject new plants to the summer heat. I bought a whole lot of stuff at the beginning of Spring as I had expected the area to be cleared by then, but the plants are still sitting in pots and I am in two minds about what to do.

But, as I said Spring was quite lovely and I would like to share some of my garden with you.

White Dogwood

Pink Dogwood

Aquilegia

Enough for today. Enjoy.

Liz Needle

Winter

Does anyone feel like I do in the winter - totally unmotivated and in hibernation. Our winter was reasonable mild to begin with, but the last couple of months have been cold and wet and I have spent most of my days by the fire reading, crocheting and playing internet games. All of this is quite unlike me as I am a more outdoor type, but perhaps it's age - this winter I have curled up in front of the fire and hibernated.

I did get my roses pruned and was halfway through the hydrangeas when the wet weather set in and now it's so muddy and wet underfoot, that I can't get in to the garden without sinking up to my ankles. I haven't even done any photography - the flowers look miserable and the birds, like me are keeping out of the garden.

Now there ate a few signs that Spring might be on the way. The daffodils are blooming - so bright and cheerful that it makes me feel happier with my lot. My magnolias are starting to flower and the faithful old camellias just do their thing year after year.

Liz Needle

The Return

An aptly named title!!  It is March since I posted to my blog and so much has or has not happened since then. I'm not sure why I have neglected my blog. Maybe the cold!!  We have had a very cold dry autumn and winter this year and sitting at the computer has been a chilly operation.

We have had a new slow combustion fireplace installed and that has made a difference to the temperature in the living rooms, though I am not sure that we have saved on wood as promised by the salesman. Maybe because Don still builds the fire up as if it was still an open fireplace.

We have also repainted the three main rooms in the house - similar colors, but fresh and clean with sparkling white woodwork.The last time they were painted was in 2000, so we were due for a  new paint job. 

The very large tree that came down in the storm in January has finally been removed by the insurance company - after 5 months of havoc in the garden. The tree is gone along with two others that had been weakened by the fallen tree, but what a mess the tree loppers have left with their large machinery. The assessor came out on Friday and now begins the probably lengthy process of getting the insurance company to foot the bill to put the area back to rights. Hopefully not another 5 months because as soon as we get the winter rains, the area is going to be a disaster area.

It has left us with enough wood for the next few years and a mountain of mulch for the garden.

More later. This has caught us up a bit, dear readers - if there are any of you left - which I doubt.

Liz Needle

Wild Bird Wednesday

A visit to a local wetlands this week gave me a chance to snap some of the water birds. To my surprise I also saw a new honeyeater, but the little devil played funny games with me and would not stay still long enough for me to identify it, let alone get a picture in focus. Next time maybe.

Laratinga Wetlands  at Mount Barker in South Australia is a great spot to see birds, especially water birds, or just to walk and enjoy the scenery. Easy walking paths also cater for wheelchairs or prams so the area is very family friendly.

There are a number of the more common water bird species and they are quite used to people walking around, so there are many photo and observation opportunities. This first white ibis pair I spotted in the front paddock at home on my way out.

A pair of Spur-winged Plover. This is a sub species of the Masked Lapwing. Both subspecies interbreed so that many of them share characteristics of both breeds. The plover has a black neck band and smaller wattles.

A purple Swamphen.

Another White Ibis.

A Dusky Moorhen in non-breeding plumage.

And to my delight  on my way home, I spotted this black swan with two youngsters on a large dam.

All in all a pleasant hour snapping.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Wild Bird Wednesday" and "Outdoor Wednesday".

Colour in the Garden

With the coming of Autumn, the garden is looking a little tired, but there are still some spots of beautiful summer colour.  Before long the trees will show their autumn colour and then we will be into winter. So, let us enjoy these vibrant colours for as long as we can.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Our World Tuesday".

Discovering Adelaide 4 - The Rundle Mall

Rundle Mall, originally Rundle Street is the main retail shopping strip in Adelaide City Centre. I remember it as a child as a busy, bustling street with tramlines down the centre and buses, including double decker buses.

The picture on the left was taken in 1938,  some 40 years before the street became a pedestrian mall.  Rundle Street was named in 1837 after John Rundle a member of the British  House of Commons and the original director of the South Australia Company which planned and set up South Australia as a new colony in Australia -  a colony of free settlers, not convicts.

Rundle mall is home to some 1000 retail businesses and services, including all the major retail shopping complexes and smaller chains and boutiques. There are also numerous arcades and plazas housing smaller retail shops.

Back before the Mall was created in 1976, a favourite landmark and meeting spot was the  Beehive Corner on the corner of Rundle Street and King William Street.

On the opposite corner was Lawrence's tobacco shop and just a little way down was a milkbar known to every teenager and young adult in Adelaide. Sigalas's made hot dogs, hamburgers, milkshakes, sodas, nut sundaes and the most amazing Banana Splits. It was Adelaide's first American style milk bar and it took  us by storm.



The sculpture "The Spheres" by Bert Flugelman (affectionately known as The Malls Balls) is now the favourite landmark and meeting place. It is also a great place for reflection photography.

Probably the most beloved sculptures are the 4 bronze pigs - Horatio, Truffles, Augusta and Oliver. Few can resist patting the pigs as they walk past and children just have to sit on them . When  it was mooted a few years ago to move the pigs from the Mall, there was an enormous outcry - the pigs stayed!!

Rundle Mall is a favourite place for buskers and there are always some there - all ages, talents, sizes.

Dotted along the strip are small outdoor cafes where old friends can meet up for a coffee.

And overlooking these small concerns are the large department stores, some of which have been there in one form or another for a hundred years.

I really love Rundle Mall  -  it has great shopping, restaurants, street art, music, pop up eateries and best of all it doesn't get as crowded as the big regional shopping centres. It is my go to place for Christmas shopping. Visit Adelaide - visit the mall.

Liz Needle  -  linking with "Our World Tuesday".